In ancient mythology, the most popular goddesses came to earth in a ball of fire. Meteorites were sacred and honored for their perceived relationship to the arrival of the goddess. The ancient Nabataeans, who disappeared in the first century BCE near Emesa and the ancient Emesans, who suddenly appeared in the first century BCE near Emesa, revered a Sacred Black Stone they called El Gabal, El=God; Gabal=Mountain.

El was the supreme god, father of humankind, and creator of all creatures on earth. The word El was found in the ruins of the Royal Library of the Ebla civilisation in the archaeological site of Tell Mardikh (Syria) and dated to c. 2300 BCE.

Tablets found in excavations at Ugarit, written c. 1300-1200 BCE) named El’s wife; she was the Goddess Asherah. Asherah was a major Semitic mother goddess who was worshipped in ancient Israel as the consort of El and in Judah as the consort of Yahweh. Of course this was some time before YHVH was transformed to a male-only deity.